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Every once in a while you just need to escape from the fast-paced, traffic laden, frenzy of the city; even if it is only for a few hours. Wolcott Mill Metro Park Farm Center surrounds you with that country feeling, located just outside of the northern suburbs you won’t have to drive all day or spend a small fortune on gasoline. The Farm Center is positioned on Wolcott Rd in Ray, and is actually just one of four parks in the metro park. This is a real working farm complete with a vegetable garden, goats, horses, pigs, chickens, turkeys, a gigantic rabbit, and of course my favorite; cows! I have to admit cows are my favorite farm animal, besides their sweet faces they provide us with milk, cheese, butter and ice cream; what’s not to love? The farm has lots of them; big and small, all brown or white with black spots, Holstein and Jersey, come see them being milked at 10am daily. Amble the farm roaming in and out of barns, take a deep breath of fresh air, listen to the sound of the clucking chickens and the baaa of the sheep, feel the simplicity of it all, it’s a great place to unwind. The center plans many activities through the year; A country fair, Farmers Camp for kids, Cider and Donut Wagon Rides and Farm Halloween. Fall is an especially beautiful time to visit.

Continuing north on Wolcott past 32 Mile road, it will hook east and become Armada Ridge Road. Just as you round the bend you will come across an antique store called The Lamb’s Tail, do stop in! This is not your average country store; housed inside a Historical barn, this place is charming and whimsical, eye-catching displays lead you from one area to another, items for your home and garden, artwork and local honey. Drift from one room to the next imagining where to place different objects in your home. Dishes and glassware, mason jars in blue, vintage furniture, there’s a bit of everything here. The outside is just as lovely, vintage aprons hang from a clothesline, Victorian teacups and saucers are re-purposed as bird feeders, wonderful shabby wooden signs make declarations such as Beach, Michigan or Lake House, it almost makes you want to buy a cottage to place these enchanting wares.

From there head east on Armada Ridge, this region bestows some photogenic scenery, then just sit back and enjoy the ride. With the recent rain the grass is a lush green, farm fields are bursting with produce, small stands along the road are piled high with baskets of tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. The corn stands tall waving in the summer breeze creating a perfect backdrop for large red barns and horses grazing. Lovely homes are set back from the road and far apart; from turn of the century to modern country estate. Seemingly every second home has a private pond, most bordered by gorgeous beds of flowers, sunflowers seem to be a popular choice. The smooth road curves and winds leaving you anxious to see what’s around the bend.

Continue on, passing through the tiny town of Armada with its historic downtown, then proceed into Richmond where you will discover a wonderful cafe appropriately named Time On Main Street. This unexpected surprise would be at home in Birmingham or Rochester yet blends in perfectly in the country enclave of Richmond. Owners Phillip and Mimi have created something truly special here. Step inside this wonderful space with dark wooden floors, bright olive-green walls and a marble fireplace. Chandeliers light the large room giving it an elegant feel, have a seat at a high top table or on the settee, it’s all quite comfortable. Whether you come for coffee or for a meal you are sure to be satisfied. The espresso is Barzula from Italy and it’s delicious, if you like your espresso sweet ask Phillip to make you a Cubano, and tell him Kris sent you, he’ll fix you up! He also makes a terrific cappuccino. The cafe menu consists of soup, salads and sandwiches, they always have a special of the day. We arrived hungry and ordered the House Salad with spinach, fresh mozzarella, walnuts, strawberries, blueberries and dried cherries with a balsamic dressing, everything was super fresh and flavorful. The special of the day was a Chipotle quesadilla; chicken, Roma tomatoes, purple onion and spicy cheese melted together on the panini press, scrumptious! You couldn’t meet nicer people than Mimi and Phillip, they pay attention to every detail and it shows from the food to the decor.